*Chapter 23: Between Fire and Silence*
The temple's walls seemed to close in as Taiwan stepped from the shadows. His dark clothes were torn and soot-stained, but his presence was powerful—commanding. Eyes sharp, unreadable. Jun instinctively moved closer to Mark, not out of fear, but to draw a line.
Dao and Lek had drawn their weapons the moment Taiwan entered, but lowered them at Mark's unspoken gesture.
"Tell me this isn't some trick," Mark said, voice low, steady.
Taiwan gave a small, joyless smile. "I wish it was."
For a moment, silence reigned. Every breath in the room felt fragile.
"I watched the city fall in a dream," Taiwan continued. "Spirits clawing at the sky. You—all of you—were there. Dying. Crying. Torn apart by something you trusted."
Jun's voice cut the air, calm but sharp. "And we're supposed to believe you rose from the ashes out of good will?"
Taiwan's gaze met his. "No. But you'll believe me because you've felt it too—the lies crawling under your skin. The past knocking at the door."
---
Outside the temple, the sky darkened unnaturally, thunder murmuring in the distance. Dao stood at the edge of the room, arms crossed, watching Taiwan like a hawk. Lek, on the other hand, shifted closer to him—quietly protective.
"This smells like a setup," Dao muttered. "Too clean. Too... dramatic."
Lek nodded. "But the fear is real."
They shared a moment of tension, eyes meeting for just a breath too long. Lek's hand brushed Dao's, and this time, neither pulled away.
---
Back inside, Mark and Taiwan stood alone by the sacred fire, its flickering light casting shadows over their faces.
"I looked for you," Mark whispered.
"I know," Taiwan said. "But if you'd found me then, we'd both be dead."
"You should have trusted me."
Taiwan didn't reply. His silence screamed everything.
Jun watched from the doorway, something sharp rising in his chest—not quite jealousy, but close. Something deeper. He turned away before Mark could see the storm in his eyes.
---
Later that night, as the group camped in silence around the temple, tensions ran high. Taiwan had claimed he knew where the next breach would occur—a place where the veil between worlds thinned dangerously.
"Why help us now?" Dao finally asked, breaking the silence.
Taiwan's expression darkened. "Because I've seen what happens if I don't."
His gaze flickered to Mark, then to Jun. "And because someone close to you is already betraying you. They just don't know it yet."
The fire popped, scattering sparks into the air. No one spoke.
---
Hours passed.
In the dark, Mark found Jun sitting alone beneath the temple's edge, knees drawn up, moonlight touching his hair like silver thread.
"I'm sorry," Mark said softly.
Jun didn't turn around. "He still has a part of you, doesn't he?"
Mark exhaled, sitting beside him. "He was my past, Jun. You... you're what I want now."
Jun finally looked at him, eyes glinting. "Then prove it. Be honest with me. About everything."
Mark hesitated—but only for a moment. Then, for the first time, he told Jun what really happened the night Taiwan disappeared. The ritual gone wrong. The spirit that escaped. The price he paid to keep Jun safe.
Jun's hand reached for his, warm and trembling. "I should be angry... but I'm not. I'm scared, Mark. For all of us."
---
From the shadows, Taiwan watched. Alone. Always watching.
And in the dark corners of the temple, something unseen stirred. A soft breath. A slither. A whisper that did not belong.
The villain was listening. Waiting.
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*End of Chapter 23*
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